WAR IN THE AIR

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 August 1942, Page 5

WAR IN THE AIR

RAIDS ON ENGLAND

RUGBY, August 13.

An official communique states: “During the day there has been some enemy activity over the ■ coasts of south-east and south-west England. Bombs were dropped at a few points. Some damage and a small number of casualties have been reported. This evening, a bomber was destroyed by one of out fighters off the west coast. One enemy aircraft was destroyed in the raids on this country last night.”

RUGBY, August 14. Last night a small number of aircraft dropped bombs in East Anglia causing only slight damage. No casualties are reported. A few enemy aircraft have been over the south coast of England. One flew inland. Bombs have been dropped at four places. Casualties and some damage are reported.

JULY CASUALTIES

RUGBY, August 14.

The Ministry of Home Security announces that civilian casualties due to air raids in Britain in July were 368 killed or missing, or believed killed, and 803 injured.

MAINZ CATHEDRAL

(Recd. 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 14. Mainz Cathedral was among the valuable historic monuments burnt down in recent R.A.F. raids, says the Berlin radio. The Bishop’s palace was damaged and five other churches destroyed. The aviation correspondem or. the “Daily Herald” says: “We are now losing a much smaller proportion of big four-engined bombers such as Lancasters, Stirlings, and Halifaxes than any other type in raids on Germany. This has an important bearing on the future of the air offensive, for- night raids in the not distant future will be made almost entirely by four-engined aeroplanes.”

BOMBER CAPTAIN’S ESCAPE

RUGBY, August 14

With amazing coolness and presence of mind, the captain of a bomber which was blown to pieces during the 1000-bomber raid on Cologne, on the night of May 30, clipped his parachute into its harness after he was thrown out of the wrecked machine. “We were set alight by fighters. I gave the word to jump and reduced speed to make things easier,” commented the airman, who is now a prisoner of war. “The second pilot handed me my parachute. At tne same moment another attack carried away the port main plane. We turned upside down and started spinning. I tried to stop the spin as none of us could move, but could not get at the rudders, and was about passing out with smoke; also we were getting cooked. Suddenly there was a hell of a crash, and I found myself alone in space with my parachute in my hand, and I clipped on, —a difficult, alarming experience,—and it opened at what seemed hardly more than tree height, and landed very heavily. The sky was raining with bits of the aeroplane which must have come to pieces, as we were all flung out like this except the tail gunner.” The wireless operator also escaped and was taken prisoner, but the rest of the crew were killed. In bombers, the crew wear harness, but not a parachute, which is clipped on when the order is given to bail out.

TRAINING CORPS.

RUGBY, August 14

The Air Training Corps which is receiving thousands of recruits, now has a strength of over a million. Mr. Wakefield, director of the Corps, states that there are 1,619 units all over the country, and over 100,000 cadets will attend the camps this year. Training will include gliding, for which 22 sites have been approved.

AWARDS TO NEW ZEALANDERS

WELLINGTON, August 15.

Official advice has been received by Air Headquarters that a further 11 awards have been made to New Zealand air personnel serving overseas. They are:— Distinguished Service Order: Wing Commandei’ Minden Vaughan Blake, D.F.C., R.A.F., Christchurch. Distinguish Flying Crosses: Acting Flight Lieutenant Valentine Allport, R.N.Z.A.F. (Mother, Mrs A. Allport, Nelson). Pilot Officer John Edwin Casey, R.N.Z.A.F. (Mother, Mrs J. E. Casey, French Bay, Auckland). Casey lost his life in an aircraft accident. Pilot Officer Alfred William Gordon Cochrane, R.N.Z.A.F. (Father, Mr W. M. Cochrane, Rawene). Acting Flying Officer George Maxwell Davies, R.N.Z.A.F. (Father, Mr S. W. Davies, Dunedin). Pilot Officer Peter Stanley Duff, R.N.Z.A.F. (Father, Mr A. S. Duff, Hamilton). Acting Flying Officer David Stewart Gibb, R.N.Z. A.F. (Mother, Mrs A. A. Gibb, Motunau). Squadron Leader Raymond John Newton, R.N.Z.A.F. (Father, Mr J. K. Newton, Christchurch). ActingFlight Lieutenant Robert Lawrence Spurdie, R.N.Z.A.F. (Mother, Mrs F. M. Spurdie, Wanganui). Acting Squadron Leader Keith Frederick Thiele, R.N.Z.A.F. (Father, Mr F. C. Thiele, Christchurch). Distinguished Flying Medal: Sergeant Kenneth Oscar Law, R.N.Z.A.F. (Father, Mr A .J. Law, Cambridge).